Newcastle United make official announcement after agreeing compensation fee & Paul Mitchell response

As previously reported, Diarmuid O’Carroll has joined Newcastle after a compensation fee was agreed with St Mirren to release him from his assistant manager position at the Scottish Premiership club.

O’Carroll replaces Ben Dawson as Newcastle’s new permanent Under-21s lead coach. Dawson left to join Leicester City in the summer with former Sunderland manager Jack Ross and Neil Winskill had been taking charge of United’s second-string side on a temporary basis.

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Ross will continue to work with the Under-21s and O’Carroll in an assistant role while Winskill will become the academy’s new head of technical development.

O’Carroll represented Republic of Ireland and Celtic at youth level before going on to play for Ross County, Morecambe and Airdrie United during his professional career. He also had stints in Iceland and Northern Ireland later in his career before retiring from playing in 2018.

He is also part of Michael O’Neill’s coaching staff with Northern Ireland at senior international level and will continue his role alongside his Under-21s duties on Tyneside.

Following confirmation of his appointment, O’Carroll told the club website: “I'm really excited to come in. It’s a role I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into.

“The club speaks for itself in terms of the size, stature and fanbase. It's a really exciting time now as well with the ownership and everything that is planned going forward.

“The opportunity to come in is something I would've never expected, but when it come across my desk, it was a really exciting one and a quick process.”

Paul Mitchell, Newcastle United’s sporting director, said: “Diarmuid is a very highly regarded coach and is a great fit for the profile we have been looking to recruit.

“He has amassed a wealth of experience during the formative years of his coaching career, working across youth, men’s and women’s club football and at international level.

“The academy is a cornerstone of our sporting strategy, and Diarmuid’s role is a crucial one in preparing players for the next significant step in their development journeys.

“The academy has produced exceptional players over recent years, and we look forward to supporting Steve Harper, Diarmuid and our academy team in continuing to build on that excellent record.”